What Does Inclusion Mean to Me?

“I don’t know if I believe in inclusion”.  Yes, those words actually did come out of MY mouth!  I had a conversation with my neighbor one summer day,  just weeks following the birth of Carson.  I had shared with her that we had concerns over the amount of fluid on our new baby’s brain.  Looking on the bright side, I noted that we were fortunate to be living in a city with specialized hospital care and education.  I explained that after having grown up in rural Saskatchewan, I was feeling grateful for all the special services Alberta has to offer.  My neighbor then volunteered that her daughter attended our community public school and that they "let" special needs kids in too.  She shared that she believed it was not healthy to expose her daughter to the behaviors these kids often exhibited and that they were certainly a distraction for her….I agreed.

I have come a long way since that day and I think of that conversation often. I have had similar conversations several times since then with numerous people, often strangers in the medical office, parents at the park,  or sometimes friends I’ve made from my children’s school, and education professionals.  My position on the matter has experienced an informed flip.  I have had a change of mind and more importantly, a change of heart.  I am now eager to acquire the knowledge, skills, and confidence I need in order to help people like my neighbor see that children like mine can be a beautiful asset to their lives and we can all learn to accept diversity. 



We have formed real relationships within our community because the boys are attending our public school.  We are told all the time that Carson’s friends talk about him and they are eager to be his,”buddy for the day”!  When I see his friends and their parents stop and make an effort to connect with him, I am reminded that inclusion is the right thing to do.  He is being noticed and having natural life experiences, just as he should.  Research strongly supports quality inclusion.  Quality inclusion requires doing things differently than they've been done in the past. 

Advocating is a practice in patience and determination.  I won’t stop, I have a vision, it is my dream to live and work in an inclusive community and  to see our community school become a leader in educational advancements . I really want to help my children make a difference, because they can!  It is in my heart, you can’t tell me it can’t be done because we ARE doing it, with the help of a whole community of people who feel like they are benefitting too!  We have a long way to go to reach quality, but we do have a start....there seems to be a lot of heart! 

 Benefits of Inclusion